Consider these fuel-saving tips
The price of gasoline is astonishing. Who would have thought it possible we'd be paying more than $4 a gallon in some parts of the country, with talk of even higher prices down the road? In fact, AAA points out it's costing us an average 22 percent more for gas today than just a year ago. What can you do about it?
Here are some ideas that come to mind, according to greencar.com.
Don't drive as much. Really, this isn't as painful as it sounds. We've grown accustomed to our cars providing mobility on demand, which is a good thing when it isn't hurting our wallets or contributing to growing oil dependency. It's not so good when the reverse is true. So plan ahead. Consolidating your day's errands into sequential trips one after another is a great strategy that will save gas.
Ease off on the pedal, Speed Racer. Light accelerator pressure and a conscious effort to avoid quick starts and stops do make a difference in fuel economy, sometimes a pretty big one. Give it a try. While you're at it, smooth out your pedal pressure at highway speeds as well by using your cruise control whenever appropriate.
Resist the need for speed. It's easy to creep past posted speed limits without thinking about it, especially on urban highways where traffic often tends to move well beyond 65 mph. The problem is that fuel efficiency diminishes rapidly above 60 mph. In fact, the EPA says that each 5 mph driven above that speed has the net effect of costing you about 20 cents more per gallon of gas.
Think about whether you really need premium. If you're filling up on mid-grade or premium fuel, check to see if you really need to do this. Some high-compression engines do require higher-octane fuel to run properly, and in fact serious engine damage could result from using a lower grade fuel. But if you don't need premium fuel you shouldn't be filling up with it. Premium fuel costs about 20 to 40 cents more per gallon but doesn't provide better performance in engines designed to run on regular.